Reviewing and sorting through a years worth of photographs to select your favorites, can be a daunting, if not impossible task. So instead, I decided to use my memory of events that stood out to me this past year and then search for the images that would help tell the story. In short, it’s been quite a year! I hope you enjoy the pictorial review. The weather as always sets the prairie stage. We started the year off covered in ice and snow, the base of which started with the freak October 3rd, 2013 blizzard. Warmer than normal winter temperatures kept the land covered in ice and water with repetitive, on and off, thawing and freezing. By May, the melting ice and spring thunderstorms had the prairie running with water, and colored in a beautiful, vibrant green. We were fortunate to escape a little winter to attend a Sustainable Symposium in CA, were we had the privilege of connecting with notable, environmental movers & shakers, such as; Wes Jackson, Yvon & Melinda Chouinard, Alice Waters and Angelo Garro. For a couple of hours we thought we were pretty big deals! We shared stories over meals and re-charged our batteries with new found support from new friends. Later in the summer Dan & I presented at the SD Green Conference with Allan Savory and I made a trip to the Rowe Sanctuary to cater their annual fundraiser. More good times and memories for worthy, necessary events. The spring brought babies, including our first grandson and 3rd generation buffalo rancher, Lincoln Hosler Jones. Wild Idea customers, friends and college students stopped by for ranch tours, to see what we’ve been up to, as well as to get an up close look at where their buffalo meat comes from. Great conversations were had over buffalo meals, and some received a special treat of Native drumming & dancing, put on by one of our own artisan butchers, Cyril White Eagle. Perhaps some of my most treasured times was being out on the prairie, either by myself or with friends, trying to catch the magic of the light, view wildlife or identify plants. Because of all of our precipitation, it made for a great grass year, with wild flowers showing off in abundance. The wild life all seemed content in the prairies bounty too. And the light, if you are patient enough, usually never disappoints. A thank you shout out to Michael Forsberg and Angela & Urle Anderson. The demand for healthy proteins continues to be on the rise and 100% grass-fed/finished, humanely harvested bison meat can’t be beat. Wild Idea Buffalo Company is second to no one in this. In addition to our fabulous whole muscle bison cuts and premium ground buffalo, our in-house artisan sausage maker Valerie Flanagan created Buffalo Bacon! It has been a huge hit with customers and is a favorite in our house. We also perfected our 100% Buffalo Hot Dog recipe – still nitrite free and now skinless! They are fabulous! If you haven’t tried them – you should. A perfect, quick fix for new years resolutions. Dan’s latest book was released, WILD IDEA. A personal memoir, layered with family and the growing of a business, to help save the American Great Plains. His first review came from Kitty Blue. Then there are the bison, the beautiful, curious and majestic bison,to which we owe so much gratitude. Our wonderful summer and mild fall kept the growing season going and going. It was finally stopped with a snowy, polar vortex that moved in in November. It lingered for a …
Real Food
Each day I awake to the sounds of the ranch; birds, dogs, an occasional horse whinny and the morning news. I drift in and out of consciousness between tweets, barks and the sound of David Greenes voice on NPR. My attention hones in to the radio voices, reporting on the horrific wars. I am relieved when the stories change to children heading back to school. Now fully alert, I’m shocked by the statistics coming from the small black box: “The average child spends 4 minutes a day outside and ten hours in front of a screen”. “This is creating disconnect with the natural world”, the voices say. They go on talking about the ramifications this will have. If intimate relationships are not cultivated with mother earth, who will we pass the baton to too care for her? Where will children think their food comes from? Water? And so on. Last Sunday we were featured on the Food Networks, “Great Food Truck Race,” a reality competitive food show. Although we were thrilled to be featured, we learned that there is not a lot of reality in reality TV. My favorite “stand out line” from one of the producers during the week that they spent on the ranch was, “This is a food show, it’s not that critical if we don’t get a good shot of the buffalo”. What’s that you say??????? I guess it’s not only our children that have a disconnect. The night of the airing of the “Great Food Truck Race”, a group of Wild Idea Buffalo employees and friends gathered to watch the show, including my friend Mason. Mason is 12 and has just started junior high. He is quiet, a bit shy and very thoughtful. Before we sat down to view the show, we went out to visit the buffalo and to offer them thanks for helping us get on national TV. We took a rawhide buffalo drum, as we have learned from our Native American friends, that if you beat the drum and have an open heart, the buffalo will come to you. I explained this to Mason as he started our heartfelt concert. Within minutes, we were circled by 300 buffalo. They stood around us as if they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, offering their soft grunts for applause. As we headed back for our buffalo feast before the show, we stopped along the way for grass tutorials from Jilian and Colton. We watched prairie dogs and burrowing owls. We rolled in the soft sand of a Buffalo wallow and talked about what happens when the wallows fill with rain. Tight on time and Mason now behind the wheel, we drove a little fast, back to the ranch. Smells of braising buffalo meat greeted us from the kitchen. We filled our plates with cucumber, melon salad, and buffalo stewed in garden tomatoes and green beans, from Jilian’s garden. We ate on the deck and watched the golden light fall on the hillside. At last it was show time. We headed inside and turned on the TV, putting our faces in front of a screen to watch an unreal, reality food show. This month’s recipe is Buffalo Chuck Roast Stewed in Tomatoes with Green Beans. Dan loves this cut and also this recipe, as when necessary he can get dinner on the table! A real treat in more ways then one! Enjoy! Jill Buffalo Chuck Roast Stewed with Garden Tomatoes and Green Beans (serves 6 to 8) A great family dinner that says goodbye to summer and hello to fall! Recipe by Jill, but prepared by Dan with …
Moving Buffalo
This past June we moved the Buffalo from one pasture to the next. Buffalo are roamers and have come to understand what an open gate means – new digs to roam and fresh grass. We believe in a gentle approach of simply opening a gate, offering a little incentive with cake (a small cube of pressed alfalfa with some minerals), and having a subtle presence on the back end. When babies are little we are very careful to guide in a very slow manner. The lead herd cow is usually the first to approach and once she has moved through the herd will start to follow. The babies stay close to their mothers and instinctively shoot to the outside. The wind was blowing on the day we moved them, which added extra excitement for the babies who frolicked, leaping through the air, bucking and kicking. A few stragglers held up the back end with the largest herd bull completing the move. They quickly joined up with the herd, and found their way to their new pasture. They other day we moved the buffalo again. What struck me, was not only their calmness with the babies now two months older, but the beautiful healthy pastures, still green and plentiful with grass, thanks to continued summer rains. The baby buffalo are now kids, in a varying stages of golden to black, with sprouting new horns. They are gaining independence, but will stay close to their mothers and remain in the family group until they are two years of age. They vocalized their happiness with their soft grunts and grazing noises. Listening to 300 buffalo eating grass is pretty amazing! We wrapped up our task under a pink sky of a setting South Dakota sun.
Grilled Buffalo Meatball Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
June’s Recipe of the Month: Grilled Buffalo Meatball Salad with Mint Vinaigrette (Inspired by Food & Wine recipe). Serves 4 Grills across the country will be fired up for this Fathers Day, covered with burgers, steaks and Ribs (check out our Rib specials this month– recipes included). All delicious, but if you are in the mood for something on the lighter side, this recipe is for you. Enjoy. Meatball Ingredients: 1 – 1 lb. Ground Buffalo 2 – cloves garlic, minced 2 – green onions, minced 1 – tablespoon soy sauce 2 – tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 – teaspoon salt 2 – teaspoons black pepper 2 – tablespoons olive oil 24 -cherries, pitted 8 – mushrooms, halved 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water foil Vinaigrette Ingredients: ½ – cup rice vinegar ¼ – cup honey ¼ – cup sesame oil 1 – tablespoon pickled ginger ¼ cup fresh mint leaves ½ – teaspoon salt 1 – teaspoon black pepper Salad Ingredients: 4 – handfuls mixed greens 1 – cup prepared quinoa ½ – cucumber, diced *optional garnish: cherries, sesame seeds or Marcona Almond Instructions: 1.) In mixing bowl combine: ground buffalo, minced garlic, minced onion, soy, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with hands. 2.) Shape into 16 oval meatballs, and roll in olive oil. Refrigerate for ½ hour. 3.) Mix all Vinaigrette ingredients in blender a pulse until mixed. 4.) Thread skewer: cherry, mushroom, meatball, cherry, meatball, mushroom, cherry. Repeat with remaining skewers. 5.) Wrap exposed wooden tips with foil. 6.) Place skewers over medium high grill, about 400* and grill for 3 minutes each side. 7.) Remove skewers from grill and cover with foil, allowing to rest for 5 minutes. 8.) Toss salad greens with ¼ cup of the vinaigrette, arrange on 4 separate plates. 9.) Mix cucmber and jalapeno together in bowl and toss with ¼ cup viniagerette. 10.) Divide prepared quinoaand sprinkle on top of greens. Repeat with diced cucumbers. Top Salad with two skewers and drizzle with additional vinaigrette. Garnish as desired. Serve with grilled flat bread.
"FIFTY" (This got a little long, but you only turn 50 once.)
It’s been said that life is about the journey and not the destination. I’ve always been kind of a destination girl myself and am often accused of burning the candle at both ends. As a friend of mine once said, “You are always trying to pack ten pounds of shit into a five pound bag”. I do not dispute either charge, they often remind me of a Jack London poem that I am fond of. “I would rather be ashes then dust! I would rather that my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man (woman) is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time”. My natural talents are in creating, in making people happy and in entertaining. Since I was a kid, I have been a participator. I knew that I would be a part of something, and hoped it would make a difference. After a brief unfulfilling modeling career, I turned my attention to what I knew best, food (now you know why my modeling career was so short); and started learning the in’s and outs of the hospitality business. For research and pleasure, I dined at some of the fanciest of restaurants where the food was marginal and ate in some of the dirtiest beer joints, where the food was exceptional, and vise versa. My entrepreneurial spirit caught fire and I soon took off trying to create/make my own life. Although it was often at my expense, it was a great ride. I have had the opportunity to cater all kinds of events, from Baby Showers to Weddings to Film Sets, for Senators, Actors and Cardinal’s. I have owned/operated 3 (at the time), cutting edge restaurants, each with their own successes and failures. All of this seemed to fit with my plan. What I did not ever think, was that at the age of 50 I would wear a hairnet, a hardhat and butchers frock. But don’t let the outfit fool you – this is important stuff. Being a dairy farmers daughter, big landscapes and hard work were part of my genetic make-up, so it was easy to join Dan in his quest to restore/preserve our ranch back to health, and hopefully impact others to do the same. Although this too has often been at our expense, it has been worth every penny and has also been quite a ride! I’ve had the opportunity to: move buffalo on horseback, assist in creating a moveable harvester that would provide humane harvest of animals, develop cooking techniques for grass-fed meat, open a processing plant, get to know some of the coolest conscious carnivores on the planet, and watch the transformation of what care of environment and of animals can do for a landscape. It’s good work – if you can get it! In addition to all the above, I have a great family, a handful of good friends, two kids and a son in-law that I’m crazy about and who are crazy about me too. And, I’ve had the great adventure of running around with Dan O’Brien. Dan has also loved my children and has been a true father in every sense of the word. Thank you Dan. This Father’s Day, on the 16th I will turn 50! Woop, Woop! And before I blow out the brilliant blaze of 50 birthday candles, I will …
Frog Symphony
I have heard Chorus Frogs every spring for my entire life, but I never saw one until the May of 2008. I was following Mike Forsberg around southeastern Montana in search of stories and photographs for Mike’s book, GREAT PLAINS, America’s lingering wild. I can’t remember what our objective was but we were in the middle of an enormous pasture and we were walking. It takes a long time to walk anywhere with Forsberg because he stops and looks at everything. When you walk with any good photographer what you are really doing is wandering. So I was wandering around southeastern Montana with Mike Forsberg on a beautiful spring afternoon taking pictures of flowers, clouds, rusty barbed wire fences, and windmills when the faint sound of Chorus Frogs drifted over a hill. The vocalization of a Chorus Frog is a little like a variety of small frogs known collectively as “tree frogs and their allies.” The Chorus Frog must be an “ally” because they are often found where there are no trees for miles. That was the case that day in Montana – no trees, just grass and a little wind. The sound of the frogs blended in with the rustle of the wind and the songs of prairie, ground nesting birds that were newly back from their winter migration. Male Meadow Larks, Bobolinks, and Buntings were setting up territories and serenading the females with all their hearts. Probably the singing of the Chorus Frog had been blending with the ambient sounds for a while before we even noticed it, but as the afternoon wore on, the sound intensified until Mike couldn’t stand it. “Have you ever seen one of those little devils?” I shrugged. “No. I’ve never even looked for one.” In fact, Chorus Frogs are such a commonfeature of the Great Plains that I had never even thought much about them. Since I could remember, they were a constant in the soundtrack of my spring existence. When we walked over the hill and found a small stock-pond created by adikebuilt across a little draw. Spring runoff had filled the pond and the Chorus Frogs were doing the amphibious version of what the birds were doing. Their shrill voices seemed to rise from the water’s edge of the entire pond. My Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians describes the sound of the Chorus Frog as prreep, prreep, but that description does not do it justice. It is an insistent sound when you concentrate on it but has the ability to recede in your consciousness until it is barely noticeable. The pond was alive with singers and we crept, shoulder to shoulder, up to the water where one particularly boisterous frog was sounding off. We moved like a pair of blue herons, very slowly, raising high and planting gently one foot at a time. When we got to the edge of the pond the sound was gone and I looked carefully, expecting the frog to leap into the water and disappear. There was no leap and splash so we bent over and squinted along the grassy edge. Still nothing. He must have heard us and took off, so we split up and started off in search of the next frog. But we had only gone a few feet when the first frog started up again – exactly where we had been looking. We went back but still saw nothing. Other frogs were singing just a little way along the water’s edge so we moved off again in opposite directions. I was intent on sneaking up on one before …
Spring Time Chorus
Last Saturday evening my parents, Colton and I took the time to drive through the buffalo herd. Words cannot describe how incredible that hour and half was. Little buffalo calves were scattered throughout the pasture. It is always a joy to see those little orange balls of fluff running and bucking at their mother’s side. We sat in silence to take it all in. The setting sky, soft buffalo grunts, and the actions of the little calves could easily hypnotize someone for hours. One thing that was out of the ordinary was an amplified chorus of frogs from the nearby dam. It caught me by complete surprise as spring has just finally settled in at the Ranch. Much needed moisture has filled the dam and has in turn, brought life back to it. This dam sat silent all of last year due to lack of moisture which left it dry. The noise coming from the community of frogs was a symphony of spring arrival. In talking with Dan we believe that the Western Chorus Frog (no bigger than a thumb nail) made up the spring symphony. Below is a short video – meant more for audio and a picture of this incredibly tiny but vocal frog.
Face to Face with America’s Food Chain
By my nature and professional training, I tend to be a skeptical person when claims are made. This comes to about everything except food. If I read something on a menu or see it on a label, I’m likely to take it at face value. I think part of this relates to the fact I have no connection to the food chain. The farm-to-table movement is the big thing right now but I wouldn’t even be able to find my way to a farm to start the journey. My eyes have been opened. I recently visited the Wild Idea Buffalo ranch as guests of Dan and Jill O’Brien. I love wildlife but have never been as up close-and-personal as I was with the herd of bison on their ranch including the very intimidating male buffalo (I don’t recommend such a personal encounter unless you have a great guide like Dan). The trip helped me understand that there is a difference between “grass-fed buffalo” and “100% grass-fed buffalo.” The former is what any producer can say even if the buffalo has had just a few weeks of grass before going off to the feedlot. The latter means literally the animal has spent all its life living and eating off of the Great Plains. What about taste? Jill was kind enough to share her incredible cooking with me and I can vouch for the fact their buffalo does taste better and healthier. This was my first trip to South Dakota and to the Great Plains. Back home in Washington, D.C., it’s easy to think one has a handle on America and what makes it tick. But this country is more than just big cities, suburbs and highways. It’s also the places a bit off the beaten path that play an incredibly important role in our history and in the sustainability of our fragile planet. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the ranch because it taught me a lot about our country and has made me more questioning of what’s in my diet. -Adam Shapiro
Baby Buffalo & Blizzards
Last week we were lucky enough to get a blizzard. It’s very dry here and at this point we aren’t too particular in how moisture comes. We were also expecting to see our first calf at anytime and although we received 20″ of snow we weren’t too concerned. Bison evolved in this country and are well adapted to weather extremes. There is a theory that bison can hold off giving birth until after a storm has passed. We’re unsure if this is fact, but the morning after last week’s blizzard, we got our first glimpse of this year’s first baby. Mother and baby are doing well. Dan brings hay to supplement the lack of grass. I tag along to get photos of the herd and a glimpse of the new babies. The new mom’s remove themselves from the main herd and set up what we call “the maternity ward”, complete with new and expecting mothers. Within a few days we had 5 baby calves, and another blizzard on the way. The snow came heavy last night without wind, frosting the landscape all the way to the horizon. I grabbed my camera gear this morning and headed out with Dan for the morning hay feeding. The weight of the snow quiets the ranch to where all you can hear is your heart beat and the soft grunts of the buffalo. They seem undisturbed in their warm down, wooly coats. While Dan rolls out 2 tons of hay, I go off in search of the maternity ward to insure that all is ok. I find them content in a shallow wooded draw. Babies close to their mothers, until the little ones take off, leaping occasionally on their new wobbly legs! The mothers stay close behind, nudging them further into the draw and out of my view. A great morning!
Saying goodbye to summer…..
This August has found me at the Wild Idea office on more of a fulltime bases. I have really enjoyed working with the plant crew (more on that in September’s newsletter), but it has also made me really appreciate my weekends. I try to get out in the buffalo at least once on the weekend. Sitting amongst them, centers me and also gives an occasional opportunity to capture “the photo”. I didn’t capture it this month, but here are a few that I thought were worthy of sharing. The growing calves are really playful and fun to watch, and seem so big compared to the new late calves. Dan is enjoying his new falcon “Clarence”. He is flying free and has had some successful hunts. We are looking forward to the shared duck, grouse & pheasant meals! ____________________ We currently have a smokin’ hot special on our Wild Idea Ground Buffalo sampler. So when I received a call from “ a soccer mom / football mom” who is on a tight budget, asking what I would recommend when feeding a bunch of hungry 11 year olds and teenagers, I gave her my recipe for “Buffalo Sloppy Joe’s”. To confirm it would satisfy, I made a batch for the plant crew at Wild Idea. It was a hit and fed 12. Wild Idea Buffalo Sloppy Joe’s (Serves 12) Ingredients: 2 tsp. olive oil 1 onion, diced fine 2 lbs. Wild Idea Ground Buffalo 2 tsp. each: black pepper, cumin, mustard 1 tsp. each: salt, chili powder 2 Tb. brown sugar 1 Tb. garlic, chopped ¾ cup ketchup ¾ cup water 12 hamburger buns Instructions: In heavy skillet over medium high heat, heat oil. Add chopped onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Crumble ground buffalo into pan, stirring together and breaking into smaller pieces. Add spices while meat is browning and stir in. When meat is browned, add ketchup and water, stir to incorporate and let come to full heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on hamburger buns or smaller slider size buns for smaller kids. Great for casual dinner, after the game or tailgate parties! ___________________________________________________ I’ve had a couple of requests for updates on the puppies, and since it is the dog days of summer it seems only appropriate. Below are brother’s (Henry Dog’s children), Shiner, and Huckleberry, taking a break from their fierce battle that I interrupted. And Fargo, who is in training for this year’s hunting season. Then there are the birds, which are starting to gather and slowly vacate, leaving the ranch a little quieter with each passing day. I caught two songbirds at the bird feeder the other day sharing a meal; a baby Chickadee and Gold Finch. I remain obsessed with photographing Jilian and Colton’s chickens and guinea’s. They are such characters and their colors are so intense! While driving around in the cottonwood pasture and along the river, I started noticing wooden animals everywhere. Here are a few of my favorites – named in what I feel is obviously appropriate. Do you see anything else? Would love to hear your thoughts. As we start to say goodbye to summer, we are taking in as much of the outdoors as possible, and are really looking forward to the Labor Day weekend. We plan to take in a PowWow on the Cheyenne River Reservation. A couple of the Wild Idea artisan butchers have their children participating in dance competitions, and they are also going to be setting up a food stand, selling delicious Wild Idea Buffalo Burgers! Definitely not to …
Back At It, After The Wedding
The wedding is over and we are starting to get back on track, (wedding photos to come in July’s newsletter). To unwind from it all, I got out and stalked the wild things that live on the ranch with us. The below photos are of a Carolina Sphinx Moth and of a Screech Owl that fledged a week ago from the bird box just beyond the house. This same bird box has housed Wood Ducks, and Kestrel’s. We also celebrated my almost 50th birthday, with a small dinner party, cooked by son Lucas. A good time was had by all! Some may have over birthday caked? Back at it, means back to work. My favorite part of working at the office in town, is drive home. In the photos below I am 7 miles from the ranch. One is looking west and the other is looking south east to the ranch. It always takes my breath away. Toward the end of the month we entertained a group of 16. All had a wonderful time. Our evening included; a drive through the buffalo herd, a sundowner on the bluff overlooking the ranch, and a delicious Wild Idea Buffalo dinner to end the evening. A big thanks to the kids (Lucas, Jilian & Colton) for all their hard work in helping make it a success. I am back to a little food photography, Dan is back to writing, training a new falcon and eating the food photography! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a red, white and buffalo 4th of July!
Meet the New Members of Our Family & Buffalo Sausage Casserole
This last Sunday, we all took the day off and celebrated Mothers Day with the little things in our lives. It was complete with a delicious champagne brunch featuring, Buffalo Sausage and Egg Casserole, made by Jilian. The recipe for the Buffalo Casserole is listed below the slideshow. Here are some of the photographs from our day and include the newest members of our family. Featured are: Grandpuppies , Ivan (Jilian & Colton’s new puppy), Huck (son Lucas’s puppy), and Dan’s newest hunting dog, Shinner, who is the puppy with the patch on his eye. Shinner & Huck are son’s of Henry, Dan’s famous hunting dog. Jilian and Colton have also added a dozen new baby chicks to their growing flock. And, you can’t have mother’s day on a buffalo ranch without baby buffalo’s. A great day, enjoyed by all! Buffalo Sausage & Egg Casserole (Recipe created by our friend Val) Serves 8 Ingredients: 1 lb. Wild Idea Buffalo Sausage (Italian Buffalo or Breakfast Sausage) ½ cup chopped shallots 2 garlic cloves minced ½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped 4 Tb. fresh parsley, chopped 8eggs (best farm fresh or organic) 1 cup half & half 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated ½ tp. Salt 1 tp. Pepper Preparation: Preheat oven to 375*. Butter a 13x9x2 casserole dish. Over medium high heat in heavy sauté pan, crumble sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add shallots, garlic, tomatoes and 2 Tb. parsley and sauté for 3 minutes. Spread Buffalo Sausage mixture in bottom of prepared casserole dish . Whisk eggs. Add half & half, cream, 1 cup of cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Pour over Buffalo Sausage mixture, and cover with remaining cheese and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Wild Idea Buffalo Featured on NPR
After a long hiatus, we are bringing back the Food and Land blog on the Wild Idea Buffalo site. Please come back and visit this space regularly and we promise to entertain and enlighten you with news from the Great Plains, photos from the Cheyene River Ranch, relevant stories in the news on food politics, and some delicious recipes. The first post we wanted to share in the re-launched blog was about a story that NPR did right before Christmas. South Dakota Public Radio did a story on the booming buffalo market, which featured Wild Idea Buffalo with interviews of Dan and Jill. The story ended up being picked up by NPR nationally, and we started getting calls from around the country from old customers congratulating us, and new people who wanted to learn more of the story about the little buffalo company on the prairie. For those of you who did not hear the story, here is a link to it on the NPR web site. South Dakota Buffalo Farmers Relish Bison Meat Boom
It is four in the morning of January 30th…
… By Five o’clock I intend to close this computer and not open it again until the 8th of February. Jill and I are going on the first real vacation we have had in twelve years. We travel separately quite a bit: I’m off doing a reading or teaching or looking at parts of the Great Plains for a book, Jill is cooking somewhere. We travel together too, but it has always been in conjunction with some event, some sort of work. This time it is a real vacation, just the two of us. We are off to a place that both of us have always wanted to see – Costa Rica.
Jill’s Favorite Buffalo Burgers
Wild Idea’s Ground Buffalo is 95% lean, delicious and very versatile. Use in any of your favorite dishes, such as Taco’s, Sloppy Joe’s and Meat Loaf. Below are a couple of my favorite buffalo burger recipe. Makes 6 to 8 Buffalo Burgers Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon mustard 1 teaspoon ketchup 1 teaspoon thyme 2 teaspoon salt & pepper 2 lbs. Ground Buffalo Mix all ingredients, but Buffalo together. Add Buffalo & mix thoroughly with hands. Pat into 6 patties. Place in refrigerator to firm up burgers. Grill over high heat for 3 minutes each side for Medium Rare. Dan & I like to drizzle a little more olive oil over and sear for another half minute per each side for medium. This give the burgers a bit of a crust on the outside. Remove form the grill, and sprinkle with a high quality finishing salt. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before serving. Serve on high quality buns, with your favorite toppings.
Bacon & Buffalo Cheeseburgers
This Recipe was made for our dear friend Jim Harrison, who shares our love for a good bacon cheeseburger. (makes 6 to 8 burgers) Ingredients: 2 lbs. Ground buffalo Steak 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon mustard 1 teaspoon ketchup 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoon salt & pepper 6 to 8 ounces Irish cheddar or good quality American cheddar 6 to 8 ounces happy bacon or Pancetta, pan fried 1 onion, sliced and sautéed lightly 6 to 8 hamburger buns or sour dough bread, lightly toasted 1.) Mix all spice ingredients, but Buffalo into paste. 2.) Add ground Buffalo and mix thoroughly together with hands. 3.) Pat into 6 or 8 patties, 1 inch thick. 4.) Grill buffalo burgers over high hot gas heat. Grill with lid closed for 2 minutes each side. Sprinkle cooked burgers with a finishing salt. 5.) Add cheese to cooked side, immediately after turning. 6.) Top with pan fried bacon or pancetta, and lightly sautéed onions. *It may be trendy to use different cheeses and exotic toppings on a burger, but there is nothing that replaces the classic. I have tried many cheeses for toppings and hands down cheddar is simply the best. Add your favorite condiments, but warm first. Wine Pairing: In honor of my memorable evening in Livingston MT. I choose a Chateau de Pez Saint Estephe 2002, Medoc Region France A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Fran, Merlot & Verdot. Fruity and earthy to the nose with a hint of spice and tobacco, that carries through to the palate. Medium bodied with a rich fullness and a lingering finish.